Fear to Passion “Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one”- Malcolm Forbes.
It was the first day of our Macroeconomics class at IIM Bangalore. My prior experience with other economics course had taught me that the subject was grim and definitely not my cup of tea. “It will be a tough and monotonous 90 minutes of class”, were the exact words I recall telling my next seat class-mate. Then the door opened and entered Dr. Chetan Subramanian, our Macroeconomics professor. The next 20 classes in the course not only changed my perception about the subject and made it my favorite one, it was changed my perception about learning, the world around us and most importantly- my outlook of life.
Well, there were discussions of national and global issues- both from economics and business point of view. The core concepts of the subject were made so interesting and easy to understand that you never had to mug up anything. We learned to analyze and interpret the macroeconomic scenarios around us, be it an issue in India, China, Venezuela, US, Japan, Zimbabwe etc. We were encouraged to ask questions, debate on the economic contexts be it in the classroom or outside the classroom.
The professor was always ready to meet us in his room and discuss our subject doubts. He explained them in such an interesting way that you never needed to memorize them again. His question paper was thought provoking too. The way the subject was taught opened my eyes to the world. I could now relate myself to the world of finance and economics which I once dreaded. It also allowed me to analyze decisions and form an unbiased view. Needless to say, it instilled the confidence in me for the way forward. Thank you, Sir, for inspiring us.